Born November 18, 1933, a native of
Malone, NY, Fr. Mathias grew up and was educated in Troy, NY. After
graduation from Troy Catholic Central High, he entered the Franciscan
Order on July 14, 1956. He was ordained a priest in Washington,
D. C.,
on March 17 1962. He was then assigned to St. Anthony Shrine ,
Boston, Mass., for a year and was transferred in 1964 to the faculty
of St. Francis College, Rye Beach., New Hampshire.
Besides his undergraduate degree from Siena, Fr. Doyle holds a Masters degree from
the Catholic University of America and a Ph. D. in Political
Science from the University of Notre Dame. From 1965 to 1974
he was at Siena College as an assistant Director of Franciscan
Students and then as guardian. In 1974, he was named to St.
Bonaventure's Board of Trustees. He was formally
elected president by the Board of Trustees annual meeting on October 10,
1975.

As president Fr. Mathias saw many
advances in the university and his fifteen year term in office is only shorter
than that of Fr. Thomas Plassmann who served twenty-nine years. Fr.
Mathias' administration witnessed the construction of the Mecom Center
(now Murphy Hall), the Garden apartments and an addition to Plassmann
Hall among other buildings. In 1990 Fr. Mathias decided to leave
as president citing a desire to return to teaching and also saying, "I
think now the institution is at a point where some long term decisions
need to be made and it was unfair that I would not be able to see them
through."

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: B.A. IN HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE IN
1955\ MA IN POLITICS FROM CATHOLIC UNIV.\ PHD. POLITICAL SCIENCE IN
1968 FROM UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME\ YOUNGEST FRIAR EVER ELECTED TO
PRESIDENT\ ST. BONAVENTURE'S SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT